‘See each concert as the most important one in your life’ - Daniel Hope’s life lessons

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It was a huge stroke of luck for me to have Sheila Nelson as my first teacher – she was the teacher for young kids. She gave me that initial impulse. And apart from all the technical aspects, it was simply a tremendously fun experience. She also instilled in me the ability to improvise, which grew into a confidence and openness to go with my ears, not my eyes.

Between 9 and 14 I had two teachers: Felix Andrievsky and his assistant at the time, Itzhak Rashkovsky. They complemented each other ideally. Itzhak was very direct and would demonstrate everything by playing. His criticism was always justified yet constructive, and I’m still very much a believer in this today. You shouldn’t just tear someone apart for no reason – rather, you should look at the problem, analyse it and fix it. Felix was more about fantasy and imagination. He urged me to dive deeply into the repertoire I loved and not to be scared of it. I still remember him saying, ‘You must play with a warm heart but a cold head.’

You never know who is sitting in the crowd

My studies with Zakhar Bron were incredibly intense. At one point I had a lesson every day. I thrived under the pressure that came with his teaching style. You never knew whether your lesson would happen in five minutes or three hours, as it depended on whether those before you had prepared well enough not to be sent home. Bron analysed problems in a thoroughly forensic manner, always using technique to produce music without separating the two. I probably learnt most about sound and production and sonority from him. He believed in the concentration of sound, and that to create more sound you use less bow. Conversely, to create less sound you use more bow. I looked forward to every lesson because it was unlike anything else in terms of duration, intensity and the quality of teaching. To experience someone so in love with the craft of violin instruction was deeply inspiring.

The journey to becoming a professional musician has changed dramatically throughout my life, but there are some things that will never change. A career is built on re-engagement. You can play somewhere once, but the organiser will need to be happy enough with you to ask you back. If that is sustained, then your career can last a lifetime.

I’d urge musicians to see each concert as the most important one in their lives. You never know who is sitting in the crowd, even in the smallest town or venue. There could be someone there who could literally change your life – it’s happened to me several times. You need to seize every opportunity you get. Even if we simply can’t be at the top of our game every day, it still needs to be your ideal.

INTERVIEW BY RITA FERNANDES

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